US EditionLuxury 1872 Steamer Found in Lake Michigan After 60-Year Search
The Lac La Belle steamer wreck was found after nearly 60 years of searching, with a 3D model documenting the well-preserved hull despite invasive mussel damage, searchers said.
- On Friday, Shipwreck World announced that Illinois shipwreck hunter Paul Ehorn's team found the Lac La Belle in October 2022 about 20 miles offshore between Racine and Kenosha, Wisconsin.
- On Oct. 13, 1872 the Lac La Belle sank with 53 passengers and crew carrying barley, pork, flour and whiskey, reflecting the Great Lakes' 6,000 to 10,000 mostly undiscovered shipwrecks.
- Ross Richardson provided a clue that narrowed the search grid in 2022, and Paul Ehorn found the wreck using side-scan sonar after two hours on the lake.
- Ehorn said the announcement was delayed to include a three-dimensional video model, and his team returned last summer to find the hull intact with oak interiors preserved despite quagga mussels and a missing propeller.
- Ehorn, now 80, has searched for shipwrecks since age 15 and the Lac La Belle is the 15th shipwreck he has located, joining recent Lake Michigan discoveries like the Milwaukee and J.C. Ames.
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One of the most sought “fantasma ships” was finally found, almost intact, ending up to 6 decades of search. Founded in 1864 after a storm, it caused 8 deaths and became a local legend.
Shipwreck hunters discover ship that sank 150 years ago in Lake Michigan
A piece of Great Lakes history resurfaces: A shipwreck team announced the discovery of the Lac La Belle, a luxury steamer that sank in Lake Michigan more than 150 years ago. Shipwreck hunter Paul Ehron and his team found the steamer after searching for it for more than 60 years. The history The 217-foot passenger steamer operated between Cleveland and Lake Superior in the mid to late 1800s. In October 1872, the steamer, carrying 53 passengers, s…
Missing 19th-Century Steamer Found in Lake Michigan
A Lake Michigan mystery that captivated shipwreck hunters for decades has finally been put to rest, the Guardian reports. The long-lost passenger steamer Lac La Belle, which went down in a storm in 1872, has been located about 20 miles off the Wisconsin shoreline between Racine and Kenosha, according to...
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